A nation mourns for Lee Kuan Yew who transformed Singapore into a super city
Fred Olsen’s cruise flagship Balmoral sailed in to Singapore on the day of Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s funeral procession and passengers were quick to recognise his influence and legacy
You can always rely on a cab driver to deliver a town’s news but, just for once, there was not a taxi to be seen in Singapore on Sunday (March 29). Every single one was off the road as the nation mourned for Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
The roads remained eerily quiet after the 91-year-old leader’s funeral procession where tens of thousands of Singaporeans had lined the streets, despite the torrential rain, to pay their respects to the man who transformed their small country into a global Metropolis, with a capital M.
It was Lee Kuan Yew who signed off a major land reclamation scheme where the smart Marina Bay Cruise Terminal has been built. It opened in 2012, just five minutes’ drive from the spectacular Marina Bay leisure and retail complex, hotels and gardens.
Fred. Olsen passengers found they could jump on a train or bus from the terminal for a connection to any area of the city, and for those leaving the ship, award-winning Singapore Changi International Airport was just a 30-minute drive.
Balmoral sailed in to Singapore on an extraordinary afternoon. A 21-gun salute sounded across the city and as the grieving crowds cleared, so did the storm clouds. Passengers went ashore and, although it took a while to get through border control because only a few officers were on duty, they were forgiving on such a day.
There were no dancing fountains or fireworks in the usually vibrant Clarke Quay and no light or sound display at the man-made grove of 50-metre supertrees in the Gardens by the Bay, but the futuristic city in a garden still looked spectacular.
On Monday, the taxis were back and our driver was in full flow, describing the city in the 1960s when he was a boy.
“Here was a filthy, stinking, bad place,” he said. ”But In 1977, our Prime Minister told his governors they had 10 years to turn the river into a clean and beautiful area to visit. Just look.
“It happened because he was like a strict father. There will never be anyone else like him.”
Lee Kuan Yew’s tough-love leadership did not just sculpture the landscape but the people’s lives, according to every Singaporean we met – nobody could talk about anything else.
“He wanted to make the quality of our lives better,” they all repeated.
Even our tour guide, rather than give a commentary of the city, could not help herself. She said: “He pledged, about three decades ago, that all Singaporeans should own their own home. My family have all had an education. I have always had a job and now a home and a pension when I retire.”
There was nothing else for it but to call in to Raffles Hotel to raise a Singapore Sling to Lee Kuan Yew and remember another figurehead who shaped the city some 127 years ago, Sir Stamford Raffles, who also saw potential in Singapore. Perhaps there is something in the water.
We opted for a night-time trip on an eco-friendly traditional bumboat, yes, bumboat, from Clarke Quay and watched reflections of the city’s skyscrapers and beautifully preserved colonial buildings on the aforesaid clear water, later wandered by the riverfront restaurants and over the restored Victorian bridges which form part of the F1 race circuit. Everywhere was pristine.
“If ruling with an iron fist means seeing no chewing gum or litter on the pavement, I’m all for it,” said one of the passengers. “And no spitting,” piped up another and so began a lively debate just before we returned home for election fever.
You can always rely on a cab driver to deliver a town’s news but, just for once, there was not a taxi to be seen in Singapore on Sunday (March 29). Every single one was off the road as the nation mourned for Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
The roads remained eerily quiet after the 91-year-old leader’s funeral procession where tens of thousands of Singaporeans had lined the streets, despite the torrential rain, to pay their respects to the man who transformed their small country into a global Metropolis, with a capital M.
It was Lee Kuan Yew who signed off a major land reclamation scheme where the smart Marina Bay Cruise Terminal has been built. It opened in 2012, just five minutes’ drive from the spectacular Marina Bay leisure and retail complex, hotels and gardens.
Fred. Olsen passengers found they could jump on a train or bus from the terminal for a connection to any area of the city, and for those leaving the ship, award-winning Singapore Changi International Airport was just a 30-minute drive.
Balmoral sailed in to Singapore on an extraordinary afternoon. A 21-gun salute sounded across the city and as the grieving crowds cleared, so did the storm clouds. Passengers went ashore and, although it took a while to get through border control because only a few officers were on duty, they were forgiving on such a day.
There were no dancing fountains or fireworks in the usually vibrant Clarke Quay and no light or sound display at the man-made grove of 50-metre supertrees in the Gardens by the Bay, but the futuristic city in a garden still looked spectacular.
On Monday, the taxis were back and our driver was in full flow, describing the city in the 1960s when he was a boy.
“Here was a filthy, stinking, bad place,” he said. ”But In 1977, our Prime Minister told his governors they had 10 years to turn the river into a clean and beautiful area to visit. Just look.
“It happened because he was like a strict father. There will never be anyone else like him.”
Lee Kuan Yew’s tough-love leadership did not just sculpture the landscape but the people’s lives, according to every Singaporean we met – nobody could talk about anything else.
“He wanted to make the quality of our lives better,” they all repeated.
Even our tour guide, rather than give a commentary of the city, could not help herself. She said: “He pledged, about three decades ago, that all Singaporeans should own their own home. My family have all had an education. I have always had a job and now a home and a pension when I retire.”
There was nothing else for it but to call in to Raffles Hotel to raise a Singapore Sling to Lee Kuan Yew and remember another figurehead who shaped the city some 127 years ago, Sir Stamford Raffles, who also saw potential in Singapore. Perhaps there is something in the water.
We opted for a night-time trip on an eco-friendly traditional bumboat, yes, bumboat, from Clarke Quay and watched reflections of the city’s skyscrapers and beautifully preserved colonial buildings on the aforesaid clear water, later wandered by the riverfront restaurants and over the restored Victorian bridges which form part of the F1 race circuit. Everywhere was pristine.
“If ruling with an iron fist means seeing no chewing gum or litter on the pavement, I’m all for it,” said one of the passengers. “And no spitting,” piped up another and so began a lively debate just before we returned home for election fever.
Supertrees in the Gardens by the Bay dwarfed by the triple-block Skypark Hotel, complete with 150m roof pool
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